1996 Cricket World Cup

Three countries, one bomb

The sixth World Cup was the biggest yet. Sponsored by Wills, it was shared by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and it grew to twelve teams: the nine Test nations, Zimbabwe among them since 1992, and three associates, Kenya, the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates, all making their first appearances. They were split into two groups of six, and for the first time the top four in each group went into quarter-finals.

The tournament was shadowed before it started. In January 1996 a truck bomb exploded outside the Central Bank in Colombo, killing scores of people. Australia and West Indies, both drawn to play group matches in the city, refused to travel, despite offers of heavy security and a joint India-Pakistan eleven that played a goodwill match in Colombo to show it was safe. The ICC awarded both matches to Sri Lanka. Those two forfeits are why this tournament has two fewer scorecards than scheduled matches, and why Sri Lanka started with two wins they never had to play for.

The first fifteen overs

Sri Lanka's coach Dav Whatmore and captain Arjuna Ranatunga had a plan. The rules allowed only two fielders outside the circle in the first fifteen overs, and most sides used those overs carefully to see off the new ball. Sri Lanka did the opposite. Their openers, Sanath Jayasuriya and the wicketkeeper Romesh Kaluwitharana, hit over the infield from the first ball, and if they got out, the strong middle order of Asanka Gurusinha, Aravinda de Silva and Ranatunga was there to rebuild.

It worked from the start. Against India in Delhi, Sri Lanka chased 272 with overs to spare after Jayasuriya made 79 from 76 balls. Against Kenya in Kandy they made 398 for five, then the highest total in one-day internationals, with de Silva scoring 145. Sri Lanka won every match they played, and Jayasuriya was named player of the tournament.

Kenya in Pune

The shock of the group stage came on 29 February in Pune. Kenya, playing in their first World Cup, made only 166, and West Indies, with Brian Lara and Richie Richardson, were expected to knock the runs off before the afternoon was out. Instead they were bowled out for 93. Kenya's captain Maurice Odumbe took three wickets for 15 with his off-spin. It was the first time West Indies had lost a one-day international to an associate nation, and it remains one of the great upsets in the history of the tournament.

Elsewhere, South Africa won all five group games, and Gary Kirsten made 188 not out against the United Arab Emirates in Rawalpindi, passing Viv Richards' record for the highest World Cup score. The United Arab Emirates and the Netherlands won one match between them, against each other.

The quarter-finals

The first knockout round produced two surprises and one of the loudest matches the tournament has ever seen. In Faisalabad, Jayasuriya made 82 from 44 balls and Sri Lanka chased England's 235 with more than nine overs to spare. In Karachi, Lara made 111 and West Indies knocked out South Africa, the side that had looked the best in the tournament. In Madras, Mark Waugh made 110 and Australia chased 287 against New Zealand.

The match everyone wanted was in Bangalore: India against Pakistan. India made 287 for eight, with Navjot Sidhu scoring 93 and Ajay Jadeja hitting 45 from 25 balls at the end, much of it off Waqar Younis. Pakistan, without their injured captain Wasim Akram, started the chase at a sprint, and Aamer Sohail pointed Venkatesh Prasad to the boundary after hitting him for four. Prasad bowled him next ball. Pakistan lost by 39 runs, and India went through.

The night Eden Gardens burned

The first semi-final, on 13 March in Calcutta, was India against Sri Lanka in front of a vast home crowd. Sri Lanka lost both openers in the first over, but de Silva made 66 from 47 balls and they reached 251 for eight. India were cruising at 98 for one, with Sachin Tendulkar on 65. Then Tendulkar was stumped, and on a pitch now turning sharply India lost seven wickets for 22 runs.

At 120 for eight, parts of the crowd began throwing bottles onto the outfield and setting fire to the stands. The players were taken off. When play could not safely resume, the match referee, Clive Lloyd, awarded the match to Sri Lanka by default, the first time an international match had been decided that way. Vinod Kambli, not out at the other end, walked off in tears, and the picture of him became the image of India's tournament.

Mohali

The next day in Mohali, Australia were 15 for four against West Indies after Curtly Ambrose and Ian Bishop tore through the top order. Stuart Law and Michael Bevan rescued them with a stand of 140, and Australia reached 207 for eight. West Indies then cruised to 165 for two, with Shivnarine Chanderpaul making 80, and looked certain to reach the final. Shane Warne changed the evening. West Indies lost eight wickets for 37, Warne taking four of them, and were all out for 202, beaten by five runs with Richardson stranded at the non-striker's end.

De Silva in Lahore

The final on 17 March was the first day-night World Cup final, played under the lights of the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Ranatunga won the toss and chose to field, against the tradition that the side batting first wins finals, reasoning that dew would make the ball harder to grip later in the evening. Mark Taylor made 74 and Ricky Ponting 45, and Australia were 137 for one, but de Silva, bowling his off-spin, took three wickets, and Australia were held to 241 for seven.

Sri Lanka lost Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana cheaply, as they often had, and the middle order took over. De Silva and Gurusinha added 125, and then de Silva and Ranatunga saw the chase home, the captain finishing on 47 not out and de Silva on 107 not out. Sri Lanka won by seven wickets with 22 balls to spare, and de Silva, with three wickets, two catches and a hundred, was player of the match. Sri Lanka had played at every World Cup since 1975 and won it at the sixth attempt, unbeaten throughout. Their approach to the first fifteen overs was copied everywhere, and the 1999 World Cup took the tournament back to England.